Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision." Nehemiah 2:17 ESV
JERUSALEM HAD BEEN destroyed and lying in ruins for over 125 years. The people Nehemiah was talking to here had been living in the rubble heap that was Jerusalem for ten years or more. Why was it so important for him to tell them to look at the "ruins" as they began building the wall?
The people living there had become callous to their surroundings. They got used to walking over rubble and not having gates protect them. It took time, but it became home to them.
That is what sin does to us. Sin might start off small, but it keeps getting larger and larger. The destruction spreads wide, affecting every area. But we start getting comfortable with it and it becomes a part of our everyday life. What ruins and burned gates have you grown callous to?
Examine your habits. Is there anything you've grown used to that you should let go of?
Source: Relevant Magazine